The Scarlet Throne

By Amy Leow

Book Overview

A dark, heart-thumping political epic fantasy by debut author Amy Leow--full of scheming demons, morally grey heroines, talking cats, and cut-throat priests, this delicious tale of power and corruption will captivate from beginning to end.

Binsa is a "living goddess," chosen by the gods to dispense both mercy and punishment from her place on the Scarlet Throne. But her reign hides a deadly secret. Rather than channeling the wisdom of an immortal deity, she harbors a demon.

Though, one cannot remain a living goddess forever. When her temple's priests decide that Binsa's time in power has come to an end, a new girl, Medha, is selected to take over her position as goddess. But Binsa refuses to be discarded into a life of uncertainty as a young woman, and she strikes a deal with her demon: She will sacrifice her people's lives in order to magnify his power, and in return, he will help her seize control from the priests once and for all.

But how much of her humanity is she willing to trade for the sake of ambition? Deals with demons are rarely so simple.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0316562483
• ISBN13: 9780316562485
• Release Date: September 2024
• Publisher: Orbit
• Length: 432 Pages
• Weight: 0.07 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 6.1" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

gods and demons abound!

I found the premise of this book very interesting. What would you do to keep being in power? Binsa did not have much choice with her mother pushing her to become the next girl to become Rashmutan and being the host for the demon Ilam but she certainly works hard to stay on the Scarlet Throne! Starving your body so you do not get your menstrual cycle and become a woman, plus going out to kill people (scum people, not good ones) for your demon to drink their soulstreams in return for power to bring rain and other miracles? That is dedication and I kind of admire her strength in that regards. Though Binsa might not have the best morals. Still, I kind of want her to keep what she has because there are secrets within secrets and her priests and the other Rhaktis are plotting to show her as a failure even though they might not be any better. And seeing this all unfolding through Binsa's eye does predisposition the reader to taking her side, though I do like Medha (who is a nice foil of innocence when compared to Binsa)too. Also the way that Binsa tries to keep her brother with her because she does love her family (mother aside but who can blame her?) I would not call this a fast moving book (except for that ending when there are so many revelations and plans in action) but it sets everything up nicely, introducing us to the fantastical land with gods and demons and magic and many secrets about the truth. And after that ending I do want to see if Binsa can rise again, with the help of the surprisingly likable Ilam (whose form is a shadow cat, and I love his sarcasm!) I will say this is a good origin of a villain story.